Lorelie Brown - Riding the Wave

The past ten years of the waves down under hadnt been home to Tanner Wright, not like the gray-green swells of San Sebastian. Hed been raised on these Californian waves. His father taught him to surf on a long board, carve out what he could from the slush and be the man he was born to be. It hadnt been until they were halfway across the world, in a much brighter blue ocean, that hed realized his dad wasnt half the man he was supposed to be.

Now Tanner was home again.

And Hank Wright was dead. Buried six months ago.

Tanner faced the waves of San Sebastian alone. The weight of the breeze pushed over his bare neck, scraping across his skin. His toes burrowed into the damp, cool sand. The sun rose behind him, over the expensive beach houses and stores that still hadnt turned to chains over the decade hed been gone. The water was the same.

The surfers bobbing past the swells were the same too. Tanner ought to be with them but he carried a weight. San Sebastian had become an anchor.

In four weeks hed have to not only surf here, but hed have to win. Or hed lose his shot at this years pro-surf World Championship. The points were too damn close. Jack Crews, pretty boy and part-time model, didnt fucking deserve the title. Tanner would be damned before hed hand it over because he couldnt man up enough to surf.

A decent set surged, bringing a surfer cruising in with a deep layback before peeling off to the side again. Tanner hardly noticed. A woman popped up on the second wave, taking it all the way in. She didnt push any tricks, didnt grab for the rails or try to make air on a front that probably could have supported her.

She breathed pure grace. The easy acceptance of the moment shed been handed and the tiny fraction of the giant ocean she rode. Her face turned up toward the still-rising sun, golden light kissing the rounded apples of her cheeks. A smile curved her generous mouth and she kept her eyes closed, apparently enjoying the feeling of floating into shore. The water soaking her ponytail made it look almost black, but he knew otherwise.

He couldnt help but smile as he eased down toward the edge of the water. Cool, foam-topped minisurf licked at his toes.

The woman glided in as far as she could standing on her board, but finally hopped off into knee-deep water when she wouldnt float anymore. She pushed back damp bangs with one hand as she scooped up her board.

Summers deep grip meant that even a half hour after dawn it was warm enough for her to be wearing only a bikini top and black shorts. The red halter did good things to a figure entirely more curvy and filled out than he remembered.

You never could spot a good trick, could you? He couldnt keep the laugh out of his voice. All you had to do was shift and youd have had a nice little cutback swish on the end.

Dark gray-green eyes went wide. The nose of her board dropped to the sand with a soft thump and a miniature splash. Her sharp words were in direct contradiction to her stunned look. Swear to God, if you call me a lazy surfer one more time, I may toss you to the sharks.

Avalon Knox had always been a bit of a smart-ass. There was no denying the truth. Its not my fault you passed up a pro career, Tanner teased.

She gave a wry smile and looked at him out of the corner of her eye. Lifting a hand to her hair, she skimmed loose strands back toward her ponytail. She hadnt had those pert breasts the last time hed seen her. But then, shed been at most fourteen years old and hed been twenty. Looking at his sisters best friend would have gotten him strung up.

Not everyone wants to go pro. She picked the board up and hitched it under her arm. Cmon. Ill walk you back to the house.

Im not going to the house. The thought felt like scraping the inside of his skin with broken seashells. Tanner had never been able to separate the shitty memories of his father from his happy memories of his childhood home.

Youre not . . . But her voice faded off. A light pink flush crept across her sternum. She put her board down again, this time setting the tail in the sand and standing it up. One arm curled around it. You know, we didnt think you were going to be in town for another week or so. If you even made it at all.

The blow wasnt unexpected. He deserved no better. It had been more than nine years since hed been home. Seeing his sister and his mother in Hawaii every year or flying them out to Australia for his birthday wasnt the same thing. Hed invited Avalon too, but shed passed every single time.

I was injured last year. Pulled hamstring, remember?

Uh-huh. She scratched idle fingers across the plane of her stomach as she looked out over the water. Tanner looked too. It was safer out there. Out on the water, he knew who he was. A surfer.

On the shore, he remembered he was a surfer who hadnt won a world championship in nine years. Who got injured more often than not. Who wasnt one of the little kids still scrabbling his way up in the rankings.

She side-eyed him again. That was Avalon, poking at dark corners. Always had been. And what about the five years before that?

That . . . He looked back at her, away from the deep surf that had claimed his whole life and created his fathers golden image. Thats none of your damn business, sweetheart.

She flinched visibly, the tendons at the base of her neck popping. Her tongue flicked out over her pink lips. I see.

No offense meant, of course.

Most of the time when someone says no offense, they mean they wanted to hit the max possible offense.

He shrugged. Take it how you want. But if Im not discussing it with my mother, Im sure as hell not discussing it with you.

Avalon wasnt exactly a member of the family, but she was more than a friend too. Shed been twelve when Tanners mom took Avalon under her wing for mentoring. Hed been eighteen and striking out to hit the pro tour. Skinny little waifs hadnt held his interest compared to the beach bunnies who bounced their way down the sand. Plus hed known Avalon a long time.

She wasnt the type to keep her mouth shut very well. He could practically see whitewater churning behind those almost gray eyes.

The whole world wants to know, Tanner, she finally said. Not just the family.

You still work for Surfer?

Her narrow shoulders lifted in a shrug. I never really worked for them. Ive sold them some photographs.

Youd like to though, wouldnt you? He tugged a pair of sunglasses that dangled by one arm from the pocket of his cargo shorts.

Dont be an ass. She flicked her ponytail over her shoulder. Of course I do. But Im not going to sell out Sage or Eileen to get there.

That was Avalon too. Honest to a fault. My mom and sister count, but me youd sell out in a second, wouldnt you?

The wide, bright grin she flashed him was everything appealing. He had the sudden, strange urge to taste it. Kiss that smile and see if it tasted as sweet as it looked. He could have shaken off the impulse if he wanted to. The years when he hadnt been in control of his own body were long gone, if you didnt count the times when it inconveniently gave out on him.

Avalon Knox . . . she wasnt off-limits. Not for any real reason beyond longtime ties to the family. From the way her gaze flicked over his shoulders now and then, maybe she wouldnt be averse to spending some time together while he was in California.

But then her smile turned out toward the water again. Youve been gone so long, you hardly count.

He laughed off the sudden sting of that blow. It was the hardest part of it allthat no one knew hed been doing a good thing by staying away. Keeping his dads secret meant keeping the family harmony. Who the hell was he to break his mothers heart?